Taylor led Sacramento with a career-high 21 points to help the Kings down the Magic, 111-105, at the Amway Center. Taylor was making his fourth start at shooting guard for the Kings (in place of injured Tyreke Evans) since being acquired in a trade with the Houston Rockets on Dec. 15.

He also finished with five rebounds in the win.

After being chosen with the 32nd pick in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards, the Tavares native was traded to the Rockets where he played in just 31 games as a rookie.

It now appears a window of opportunity has opened for him on the west coast.

Taylor finished the game on Wednesday shooting 9-of-12 from the field. He missed only on a 3-point try, put-back attempt at the rim, and desperation shot at the buzzer.

“I felt like I could do the things I did tonight, but no one has really given me the chance,” Taylor said afterwards. “Now that I’m getting my opportunity I’m going to take advantage of it.”

More on Taylor’s big night -

Postgame interview at NBA.com

Postgame video at Howard The Dunk

Feature story at UCF Athletics

Postgame recap at IC Places

– How Jermaine Taylor scored those 21 points –

– Taylor got things going immediately following the opening tip. He scored the first two points of the night when he rose up along the baseline past Jason Richardson and dunked home an alley-oop pass from DeMarcus Cousins.

– Near the 10-minure mark in the first, Taylor took a pass from Jason Thompson and drove past both Richardson and Dwight Howard on his way to converting on a layup.

– He then caught an inbound pass at the foul line with under nine minutes remaining and proceeded to drive past Richardson before banking in a jumper overtop of Jameer Nelson.

– Taylor then found enough room under the basket near the five-minute mark to be in position for an easy tip-in on a miss by Beno Udrih.

– His only 3-pointer on the night came with 1:48 left in the first quarter. That’s when Taylor got open near the corner of the arc and nailed the long shot before Ryan Anderson could extend his arms to contest.

– Taylor closed out the second quarter by scooping up a loose ball from beneath the basket and laying in a quick shot just before the buzzer sounded.

– With close to eight minutes left in the third quarter, Taylor dribbled past Richardson and Howard while tight-roping the baseline, then launched himself from behind the backboard to send in a reverse layup. It was a soft bounce off the glass that he got to fall while Nelson was planted in the paint hoping to pick up a charge.

– The ball found its way into Taylor’s hands once with 2:51 to play in the third on a fastbreak for the Kings. With J.J. Redick between him and the basket, Taylor sidestepped the defender and completed the easy layup while in stride.

– Taylor was sent to the free throw line for the only time on the night with 2:04 to go in the third when Nelson wrapped him up in the paint following another quick effort downcourt by the Kings. Taylor made both attempts.

– His last bucket on the night came on a layup with 36 seconds to play in the third quarter.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com and follow at Facebook or @OrlandoSportsJC ) –

Three former UCF Knights – Josh Sitton, Atari Bigby and Michael Greco – will continue their pursuit of the Vince Lombardi Trophy on Sunday when the Green Bay Packers face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Sitton and Bigby are expected to suit up for the Packers, becoming the fifth and sixth Knights to play in a Super Bowl. They’ll join Shawn Jefferson (Super Bowl XXIX and XXXI), Mike Gruttadauria (XXXIV), Cornell Green (XXXVII) and Asante Samuel (XXXVIII, XXXIX and XLII). Those players are a combined 4-3 in previous Super Bowl appearances for UCF alumni.

The final wild-card selection in the NFC this season, the Packers have won five straight games to advance to their fifth Super Bowl and first since Super Bowl XXXII when they fell to John Elway and the Denver Broncos. Each of the Packers’ three playoff wins have come on the road as Green Bay knocked off rival Chicago 21-14 in the NFC Championship Game on Jan. 23 at Soldier Field, the top-seeded Atlanta Falcons 48-21 in the Divisional round at the Georgia Dome and NFC East-champion Philadelphia 21-16 in a wild card matchup at Lincoln Financial Field.

Sitton has started in all three playoff games at right guard. Against the Bears, he helped Green Bay to 356 yards of total offense to claim the George Halas Trophy. The Packer offense has been strong in the playoffs, including a franchise playoff record 48 points scored against Atlanta. Sitton helped pave the way for 28 first downs, 442 yards of total offense and a remarkable 38:19 time of possession on the road against the top-seeded Falcons. Sitton’s contributions followed another strong showing for the offensive line in the wild card round where Packer tailback James Starks set a franchise rookie playoff record with his 123 rushing yards.

During several recent interviews while accepting the NFL’s Rookie of the Year award, Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh called Sitton the best guard he faced all year.

Bigby was a game day inactive in both the Divisional and wild card rounds due to a groin injury but was back in the Packer lineup for the NFC Championship Game, contributing to Green Bay’s win with his participation on the Packers’ coverage units. Facing NFC Pro Bowl returner Devin Hester, Green Bay allowed just 15.8 yards on its four kickoff returns and 9.5 yards on four punt returns as Hester never could get free.

The postseason run continues a great regular season for Sitton, who won the fan vote to start at guard for the NFC in the Pro Bowl but ultimately didn’t earn a spot on the team. He was selected as an alternate for the showcase event. Sitton has started every game for Green Bay this year. Bigby was a starter for Green Bay at safety in 2009 but was hampered by injuries for much of this season. Including the playoffs, he has made six tackles and appeared in five games, in which the Packers went 4-1 with the lone loss coming at New England.

Greco has had two stints with the Packers’ practice squad this year after being released by the New York Giants following preseason camp.

UCF KNIGHTS IN THE SUPER BOWL

– PLAYER             GAME           TEAM           RESULT        OPPONENT

Shawn Jefferson – XXIX – San Diego Chargers – Lost – San Francisco 49ers

Shawn Jefferson – XXXI – New England Patriots – Lost – Green Bay Packers

Mike Gruttadauria – XXXIV – St. Louis Rams – Won – Tennessee Titans

Cornell Green – XXXVII – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Won – Oakland Raiders

Asante Samuel – XXXVIII – New England Patriots – Won – Carolina Panthers

Asante Samuel – XXXIX – New England Patriots – Won – Philadelphia Eagles

Asante Samuel – XLII – New England Patriots – Lost – New York Giants

Note: Charles Lee was on Tampa Bay’s injured reserve list for Super Bowl XXXVII and Michael Greco will be on Green Bay’s practice squad for Super Bowl XLV.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com and follow at Facebook or @OrlandoSportsJC ) –

Whatever the extent of that animosity was, some back-and-forth between players over which team’s uniform sponsor held the most clout clearly bothered members of the Wolfpack.

The feud led to an intensely physical football game in front of an announced crowd of 48,962. And N.C. State got the last word with a 23-7 statement win over the Mountaineers (9-4).

Jarvis Williams (5) and James Washington (24) returned to Orlando on Tuesday in the Champs Sports Bowl. (Photo by Scott McCall)

“We came out with a chip on our shoulder,” said former Boone High School running back James Washington. “They challenged us at the luncheon and we just wanted to come out and show that a team that wears Adidas can beat a team that wears Nike.”

Whatever source of inspiration is necessary, I suppose.

“The Nike team was talking a lot of mess,” former Jones High School standout Jarvis Williams confirmed. “They were underestimating us. We could tell that they thought they had this game in hand all week long.”

Williams finished his final game at N.C. State with a game-high six catches for 77 yards and a touchdown with 3:55 to play. Washington, a sophomore, ended the night with a game-high 62 yards on 18 carries and caught two passes for four yards.

“We knew that we were going to come in the underdogs, but sometimes it takes you being the underdog to win the game,” Washington said.

The homecoming for the college teammates capped off a 9-4 season for the Wolfpack. It also brought back a flood of memories for the Orlando natives.

“Jarvis has really grown – off the field and on the field,” N.C. State Coach Tom O’Brien said. “He’s matured a lot. He was elected as one of the captains by the team this year and was excited about the opportunity to come back here and play in the shadow of his former high school.”

Williams, who played his home football games for the Tigers at the Citrus Bowl, was thrilled about having one more chance to play in front of his hometown fans.

Jarvis Williams (Photo by Scott McCall)

“We got some new grass here, I see,” said Williams with a smile as he looked down at the newly planted artificial turf.

But it wasn’t really all about where his last collegiate football game was being played, rather how it would end once the clock ran out.

“I wanted to make sure I left (N.C. State) with a big statement and helped our team have a positive note to end the season,” Williams said.

For Washington, he was able to leave the Citrus Bowl field on a much brighter note than he did as a senior for the Braves in 2007.

“Last time I was in this stadium we lost in the state championship, but we’re just happy that we won this game today,” Washington said.

Turns out, though, that it was the hard work he put in while in high school that led him right back to Orlando after all.

“He’s another guy that was very excited to get back here,” O’Brien said of Washington. “One of the things we liked about him in high school was that he carried the ball about 40 times a game and never tired. He was about as strong in the fourth quarter as he was in the first quarter.”

Washington, who O’Brien said was not fully functional until sometime in November, pulled his hamstring in training camp and missed out on a chance to play in Orlando against UCF in the second game of the season.

Yet when a second chance presented itself, he took the ball and ran with it the best he had all year long.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

Jeremy Wright

After Southern Miss (8-5) took a 28-21 lead with 14:55 left in the game, Wright took the ensuing kickoff from the 5-yard line and raced 95 yards for the game-tying score. He sliced between two defenders up the middle of the field, made his way down the far sideline then got a block near the 20 before diving across the goal line.

Wright went on to pick up 11 yards on two carries on the game-winning drive, which resulted in a field goal with 6:30 remaining. He finished with five carries for 31 yards rushing, turning in a long of 15 yards that came on a scoring drive in the second quarter. He also returned three kicks for 134 yards, the first of which went for 24 yards by way of running over a Southern Miss defender.

While Wright was racking up yards, Patrick was contributing on the defensive end.

With the game tied at 21-all early in the third, Patrick blocked a 29-yard field goal attempt with 9:39 to play when he stormed around the right end of the line and laid out in front of the kick.

Johnny Patrick

Patrick was beat near the end zone on a 32-yard completion on the opening touchdown of the game. He then nearly chased down a Southern Miss running back from behind who had broken free for a 62-yard touchdown run to put Louisville (7-6) down 14-0 just minutes into the first quarter.

He more than made up for the slow start, though, finishing with two tackles (one for loss) and a pass break up.

Trailing 21-14 with 3:16 to go in the first half, Patrick forced a fumble on third down when he stuck his right shoulder pad into the gut of a receiver after Southern Miss connected on a pass from its own 19-yard line. Louisville recovered the loose ball and went on to tie the game with 1:18 to spare before the break.

Patrick finished the year with 49 tackles (6.5 for loss), a team-high five interceptions and a sack in his final collegiate season. Wright finished with 327 yards rushing and four touchdowns on 59 carries, and returned 16 kicks for a team-high 489 yards.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

Kiaree Daniels

– Daniels Brothers In Humanitarian Bowl –

Brothers Kiaree and Akeem Daniels out of Osceola High School played bit parts in a 40-17 win for Northern Illinois on Saturday in the Humanitarian Bowl against Fresno State.

Kiaree, a senior defensive back, was in on a tackle while freshman Akeem took one carry for two yards in the win.

Kiaree finished the season with 31 tackles and an interception in 14 games. He recorded a career-high eight tackles against Minnesota on Sept. 25. Akeem scored three touchdowns and gained 87 yards on 10 carries for the 11-3 Huskies.

Correy Johnson

– Johnson Plays For D-I Volleyball Title –

Lake Howell High School alum Correy Johnson ended her sophomore season in the NCAA Division I National Championship on Saturday with the University of California volleyball team. Cal (30-4) lost 25-20, 27-25, 25-20 to Penn State, who won its fourth title in a row in Kansas City, Mo.

Johnson finished with four kills and a dig in the loss. She was selected to the 2009 Pac-10 All-Freshman Team after ranking fourth on the team in kills with 202. In her sophomore season, the middle hitter was third on the team in kills (233) and added 90 blocks.

Chase Rodgers

– Rodgers Competes for D-I Soccer Title –

The unbeaten NCAA Division I soccer season for Lake Mary alum Chase Rodgers ended in the College Cup final as his Louisville Cardinals (20-1-3) lost 1-0 to Akron in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Rodgers became a defensive starter as a redshirt freshman last season. He helped Louisville shut out eight opponents, allow just 19 goals and go unbeaten against eight ranked teams in 2010.

In the semifinals, Louisville defeated a North Carolina team featuring senior midfielder Dustin McCarty of Winter Park, who spent the 2007 season playing at UCF.

Antonio Turner

– Turner Plays In NAIA Title Game –

Former all-state football player Antonio Turner out of Edgewater High School had two tackles for Sioux Falls against Carroll College on Saturday in the NAIA National Championship.

The 42-game win streak for Sioux Falls (13-1) ended in a 10-7 loss in Rome, Ga.

Turner, a three-year letter winner while at Ole Miss before transferring his senior year, led the team with six sacks this season and finished with 24 tackles, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble through 13 games.

Check back for more updates on local alumni making marks in college.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

In case you missed it, the Tuskers lost the UFL title game against the Las Vegas Locomotives 23-20 while the Montreal Alouettes defeated the Saskatchewan Roughriders 21-18 for the CFL title.

Former UCF football player Keith Shologan finished out his season with Saskatchewan at defensive tackle, making 30 tackles and recording three sacks. Former Florida State quarterback Adrian McPherson and former Florida quarterback Chris Leak saw playing time this season for Montreal.

– Rollins Soccer Caught In Snowstorm –

The most surprising thing about the Rollins College men’s soccer team playing in the Division II National Championship game this past Saturday was not that they qualified in the first place, but rather the weather conditions they were forced to play in. If you’ve yet to see it, check out the video highlights at NCAA. The Tars lost 3-2 to Northern Kentucky in weather more suitable for a football game, of the American kind.

The Rollins College roster featured several local high school alumni, including seniors Chris Cummings (Ocala St. John Lutheran), Stephen Wright (Winter Park), Bradley Welch (Cypress Creek) and Blade Zych (Lake Brantley). Plenty of local talent returns for next season. View the Tars roster at Rollins Sports.

– High School Football Finals Take Shape –

The high school football state finals begin this weekend at the Citrus Bowl with four games taking place between teams in the lower classifications.

Friday’s finals include Warner Christian Academy vs. Glades Day in Class 1B at 1 p.m., and Trinity Christian Academy vs. American Heritage in Class 1A at 7 p.m. On Saturday it’s Trinity Catholic vs. University School of NSU in Class 2B at 1 p.m., and Cocoa vs. Glades Central in Class 2A at 7 p.m.

The marquee prep football game of the weekend, though, is the Class 6A semifinal between favored Dr. Phillips at Seminole on Friday at 7:30 p.m. The state title games for classes 3A-6A take place Dec. 17-18.

A complete lineup is available at FHSAA.

– College Football Bowl Games Announced –

On Sunday the NCAA announced this season’s bowl game matchups, including the opponent for UCF at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn. and the matchups for both contests in Orlando at the Florida Citrus Bowl.

UCF (10-3) is ranked No. 24 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and will take on Georgia (6-6) on Dec. 31 at 3:30 p.m. The Knights faced the Bulldogs just once before, losing 24-23 in Athens during a regular season game in 1999. UCF Coach George O’Leary previously faced Georgia on seven different occasions as head coach at Georgia Tech. UCF lost its only trip to the Liberty Bowl against Mississippi State 10-3 following the 2007 season.

Florida Citrus Sports chose to pair West Virginia (9-3) against N.C. State (8-4) in the Champs Sports Bowl on Dec. 28 at 6:30 p.m., and Alabama (9-3) against Michigan State (11-1) in the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 1 at 1 p.m.

Check back for plenty more coverage of the upcoming bowl season.

– Magic’s Dwight Howard Best In November –

You see where Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for November?

He finished fifth in the Conference in scoring (21.8 points per game) and third in the league with a .594 shooting percentage. Howard also ranked fourth in the league in rebounds (12.1) while helping get the Magic off to a 13-4 start. It’s the fifth time in Howard’s career that he’s earned the league’s Eastern Conference monthly honor, also doing do in April 2006, November 2006, November 2007 and December 2007.

Among the highlights for Howard last month were:

Nov. 3 vs. Minnesota: Recorded 18 points, 16 rebounds and a season-high eight blocks in a 128-86 win over the Timberwolves.

Nov. 5 vs. New Jersey: Tallied 30 points and 16 rebounds in a 105-90 victory over the Nets.

Nov. 24 vs. Miami: Registered 24 points to go along with 18 rebounds in a 111-100 victory over the Heat.

Nov. 27 @ Washington: Compiled a season-high 32 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks and hit the game-winning  shot to defeat the Wizards by a score of 100-99.

– UCF Men’s Basketball Out To Fast Start –

The UCF men’s basketball team is out to a 7-0 start for the first time at the Division I level, meaning the Knights have yet to lose under new head coach Donnie Jones. For their efforts, UCF has received votes in the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls for the first time since 2006.

On Saturday, following the football team’s Conference USA championship win, the hoops team did away with Southeastern Louisiana 74-49.

Sophomore Keith Clanton tied the school record for blocks in a game when he turned away eight shots in the win. Clanton also finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds, which ties his career high. Tony Davis also blocked eight shots on Dec. 1, 2007 against USF. John Friday blocked seven shots in a game twice in January 1987.

The Knights play again on Saturday, Dec. 11 at UCF Arena against Bethune-Cookman at 5 p.m.

– Edgewater & Timber Creek Alumni In D-II Title Game –

Edgewater High School alum Kaleigh Cunningham finished her collegiate volleyball career as an outside hitter with Tampa in the Division II National Championship on Saturday in Louisville.

Tampa (31-4), who went 15-1 in the Sunshine State Conference, dropped the title match 25-23, 23-25, 26-24, 25-10 to four-time defending champion Concordia-St. Paul (32-4). (See footage at NCAA)

Cunningham finished the season with 313 kills, 220 digs and 12 service aces. Sophomore outside hitter Jessica Yingling (Timber Creek) finished with 266 kills, 369 digs, 25 aces and 24 blocks for Tampa.

– Former UCF Women’s Soccer Player In D-III Title Game –

Former UCF women’s soccer player Alex Brandt finished her sophomore season at Messiah College with an appearance in the Division III National Championship.

Messiah (24-1) lost 2-1 to Hardin-Simmons (24-0-1). Brandt was credited with her 13th assist on the season with 15 minutes to play, when she set up Alicia Frey just outside the box for a goal. (See footage at NCAA)

Brandt, who was named to the C-USA All-Freshman Team in 2009, started in all 25 games this season and scored eight goals as a midfielder. She started 23 games for UCF while finishing the year with two goals and three assists.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

The former UCF quarterback scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:55 to play to give the Sacramento Mountain Lions a 21-17 triumph. It’s the second time this season that Culpepper had knocked off the Tuskers late in the fourth quarter. He previously threw the game-winning touchdown over Florida on Sept. 30.

The effort this time around helped cap a wild fourth quarter, which followed a defensive struggle for much of the night.

Daunte Culpepper looks downfield Thursday against Florida. (Photo by Chris Schubert)

With Sacramento holding onto a slim 12-10 lead, Florida went ahead with 8:27 to go when Culpepper was intercepted by Tony Taylor, and Dominic Rhodes scored from four yards out on the very next play.

But the Mountain Lions would regroup and piece together a 14-play drive that lasted more than six minutes. The drive ended with a 10-yard quarterback draw on fourth down which sent Culpepper right through the heart of the Florida defense and into the end zone.

“You’ve got to weather the storm,” said Culpepper of rebounding from the turnover on his previous possession. “That put us down five with about eight minutes (to go) and in my mind I’m thinking we have all the time in the world to put a drive together to go down and get a touchdown.”

Trailing 18-17 after Culpepper’s touchdown, the Tuskers would have two more opportunities to respond. The first ended on an interception thrown by backup quarterback Chris Greisen that led to a Sacramento field goal with 38 seconds remaining. Then Rhodes fumbled on the ensuing kickoff to close the book on the night for good. Both teams now sit at 2-3 overall in the five-team league.

The whole experience proved to be somewhat of an overwhelming homecoming for Culpepper.

“All week I had a lot of flashbacks, a lot of memories,” he said of playing his first football game in Orlando since January 1999.

“I was fired up. I had to calm myself down because playing in a familiar place can set you back if you don’t pay attention to what you really got to do.”

Also returning to the venue where they once wore the black and gold of the then-Golden Knights were Sacramento offensive coordinator Mike Kruczek and center Mike Mabry. Kruczek was Culpepper’s head coach from 1995-98 while Mabry played for UCF from 2001-02.

Mike Kruczek and Daunte Culpepper at the Citrus Bowl. (Photo by Chris Schubert)

The three shared in the experience during the week leading up to the game.

“We talked about coming home and just coming out with a victory, no matter how you got to do it,” said Culpepper.

He finished 31 of 49 for 259 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He was also sacked twice in the win.

Culpepper found his rhythm late in the second quarter after an overall slow start by the Mountain Lions. Florida held a 10-0 lead after settling for a field goal on its first possession then getting a touchdown from Rhodes just before the end of the opening quarter.

It would take a couple more drives before a no-huddle approach on offense, directed by Culpepper, finally got the Mountain Lions on the scoreboard. Just before the halftime break Sacramento covered 97 yards over 14 plays, resulting in a touchdown pass from Culpepper to former Tuskers wide receiver Marcus Maxwell.

Long drives such as those, while in the face of adversity, are one example of how the Mountain Lions have rallied around Culpepper in his first season in the UFL.

“They love him,” said Sacramento Head Coach Dennis Green. “He can tell them stories. Daunte’s been there. He’s been to the Pro Bowl. He’s been First Team All-Pro, he’s just done some phenomenal things. We’ve got guys on our team who have been in the NFL and we have guys who have never even been at an NFL training camp, so it’s phenomenal for them to play with a guy like Daunte Culpepper.”

Culpepper’s return to town is not quite complete just yet. He’ll be making his first appearance at Bright House Networks Stadium on Saturday, where UCF will commemorate his jersey number along with those of Kevin Smith, Joe Burnett and Wayne Densch during the Knights’ Homecoming game against Rice.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

– Photos by Chris Schubert –

Leading the group of five alumni and two contributors to the sports programs at Bishop Moore were Minnesota Twins catcher Drew Butera and ESPN reporter Jenn Brown.

Joining them in the Class of 2010 were Thomas Thompson, Christine Geltz, Danielle Guarneri, Dr. G. Vernon Hair and Don Rowe.

Butera graduated from Bishop Moore in 2002 and went on to play baseball at UCF. He helped the Twins win the American League Central Division and advance to the Major League Baseball postseason earlier this month.

Brown graduated from Bishop Moore in 1999 with more varsity letters than any student-athlete before her. She played seven sports in high school and earned 14 letters before going on to play four years of softball at the University of Florida.

Thompson (1960) was considered an all-around athlete who became the school’s first individual state record holder while competing in the 100-yard dash. He was also a star on the football field.

Geltz (1987) played a key role in helping launch the school’s tradition of soccer excellence as the captain and forward of the first girls soccer team at Bishop Moore.

Guarneri (1993) finished her high school career as a three-time All-American diver. She went on to dive at Texas A&M, where she became the first female diver in Aggie history to earn multi All-American honors.

Dr. Hair coached the boys basketball team from 1983-90 while the smaller Bishop Moore Hornets were matched up against what was then known as the larger Orange Belt Conference.

Rowe was a former feeder-school coach at St. Margaret Mary Elementary School in Winter Park during the 1960s and 70s, and was recognized as a booster for helping groom future Bishop Moore student-athletes who came up through the Catholic school leagues.

The Bishop Moore Catholic High School Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 1992 and now has 40 members.

– Class of 1992 – Margaret Rose (Booster), John Ellis (Football, Basketball, Baseball)

– Class of 1993 – Glen Russell Pierson III (Football, Basketball, Track and Field), Mary Sheahan Grinwis (Swimming), Francis Patrick (Swimming), Tom Chambers (Football, Basketball, Track and Field), Jerry Richardson (Football, Basketball, Track and Field), Michael Fall (Soccer), Joseph McKenna (Football, Wrestling), Randy Jessee (Coach), Monsignor Charles Bartok (Priest), Angelo Massaro (Administrator)

– Class of 1994 – George Corrigan (Swimming), Rick Dunn (Baseball), Pat Knipe (Football, Basketball, Baseball), Steve Meisel (Swimming), Bob Spitulski (Football, Wrestling, Baseball), Mike Stapp (Football, Track and Field), George Telzrow (Soccer), Tom Bonniol (Coach), Jim Clark (Basketball), Bill & Joanne Brown (Boosters)

– Class of 1996 – Ben Cimock (Football, Basketball)

– Class of 2006 – Greg Brick (Coach), Greg Schmook (Coach), Larry Jehl (Booster), Dave Costello (Basketball, Baseball), Kristin Adamkiewicz Kirven (Soccer), Rob Graham (Basketball), Miguel Garcia (Basketball, Volleyball), Katie Arcario (Tennis), JoAnn Harkins (Tennis)

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

This Saturday UCF football will commemorate four jersey numbers during the Knights’ annual Homecoming game against the Rice Owls at 3:30 p.m. at Bright House Networks Stadium. The four 2010 honorees are Daunte Culpepper (1995-98), Kevin Smith (2005-07), Joe Burnett (2005-08) and the late Wayne Densch.

Two of the jerseys, Densch (1986) and Culpepper (1999), have previously been recognized and will be joined in 2010 by the monumental accomplishments from Smith and Burnett. Current criteria to commemorate a jersey (while not removing the number from usage by a current student-athlete) includes those who earn prominent national first-team All-American honors while gaining conference player of the year recognition and have brought positive recognition and prominence to the university and themselves through their accomplishments.

#1 – Wayne Densch – On Oct. 22, 1986 a plaque was placed in the middle breezeway of the UCF Athletics Department, thus renaming the complex the Wayne Densch Sports Center. The plaque was adorned in honor and recognition of the benevolence shared by one of the Central Florida region’s greatest philanthropists. The gift to UCF Athletics would be the start of a long-standing relationship with the Densch family and the Wayne M. Densch Charitable Trust, whose name also marks the front of the current UCF football offices and athletics training center. In gratitude for this monumental gift in 1986, UCF Athletics retired jersey #1 in honor of Densch.

#8 – Daunte Culpepper – In March 1999, Daunte Culpepper, who just completed his trailblazing career at UCF, saw his #8 retired during the team’s postseason awards banquet. Culpepper’s collegiate career would see the Ocala-native leave UCF at the top of virtually every quarterback record chart (more than 30 in all), while setting an NCAA record for single-season completion percentage (.736). Culpepper would accomplish a career feat equaled by only two others in NCAA history when he passed for 11,412 yards and rushed for 1,020 yards over his four seasons. He would finish his career sixth on the NCAA’s all-time total offense list for all divisions with 12,459 yards and was responsible for 108 touchdowns (84 passing, 24 rushing). He won the 1998 Sammy Baugh Trophy as the passer of the year in college football and was chosen along with Ricky Williams from Texas as the national Co-Player of the Year by The Sports Network.

#19 – Joe Burnett – The record-setting cornerback and returner for the Knights was named a Walter Camp All-American as a senior in 2008, in addition to receiving honors form ESPN.com and Sports Illustrated. Burnett helped UCF to its first two bowl berths in 2005 and 2007, as well as playing a critical defensive and special teams role in the school’s first ever conference championship during 2007. He earned an amazing total of eight career All-Conference USA honors, including a four-year sweep of the first-team punt returner award.  In his final campaign, he was named C-USA Special Teams Player of the Year. He left UCF as both the school and C-USA record holder for career punt return yards (1,304). He also set the UCF record, and ranked second in C-USA history, with 16 career interceptions.

#24 – Kevin Smith – Nearly everybody’s All-American following his record-setting 2007 season, Kevin Smith is UCF’s lone consensus All-American. He earned first-team praise from the Associated Press, Walter Camp, Football Writers Association of America, ESPN.com, The Sporting News, and Sports Illustrated, amongst a total of nine media entities that season. He would also go on to earn 2007 Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year honors following his junior campaign, which saw him rush for an astounding 2,567 yards and 30 total touchdowns. Both figures led the nation. UCF would go onto enjoy arguably its finest season all-time in 2007, opening up a new on-campus stadium, winning the C-USA Championship in front of its home crowd and playing in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. His single-season rushing effort was the second-highest in Football Bowl Subdivision history, trailing only Oklahoma State’s Barry Sanders (1989). In addition to leading the country in rushing, he paced the nation in scoring (12.86).

(Contact Orlando Sports Central at JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com) –

The second game on the west coast in as many weeks for the Tuskers (1-1) ended in a 24-20 loss to the Mountain Lions (1-1) and former UCF quarterback Daunte Culpepper, who threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Rod Windsor with 31 seconds to spare to cap a 17-point fourth quarter effort.

The loss is the first for Florida in eight United Football League regular season games.

“It’s a tough loss but we can’t dwell on it,” Tuskers Coach Jay Gruden said afterwards. “We’ve got to get healthy and get ready for Las Vegas on this quick turnaround.”

There’s not a lot of time to rest up, though, as Florida plays its first home game of the season at the Citrus Bowl on Thursday at 6 p.m. against the Locomotives (0-1).

“We’re looking forward to being home in front of our fans and we hope the community will come out to support us,” said Gruden.

The Tuskers led 17-7 after three quarters Saturday but simply could not put Sacramento away. A league-record tying 54-yard field goal by Fabrizio Scaccia and a 10-play, 80-yard drive that led to a 1-yard toss from Culpepper to Darrell Strong tied the game at 17-all with 6:59 to play.

During the opening week of the season Florida’s Nick Novak hit a 54-yarder in Las Vegas.

The Tuskers then pieced together a lengthy drive of their own, going 75 yards to the 1-yard line before coming away with just a field goal. But the 20-17 lead would not be enough.

Culpepper went on to take advantage of the final 2:47 on the clock by sneaking up the middle to convert on a fourth-down attempt, and complete passes of 13 and 8 yards to set up the final score of the night. He finished 26-of-42 passing for 374 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.

Florida quarterback Brooks Bollinger was 23-of-41 for 328 yards, one touchdown and one interception as the Tuskers managed to move the chains on only 3-of-14 attempts on third down.

“We had our chances and didn’t take advantage of it,” said Gruden. “We all had a hand in this one and now we have to rebound from it.”

– More Florida at Sacramento –

Former Tuskers wide receiver Taye Biddle caught three passes for 109 yards and Otis Amey finished with seven receptions for 94 yards for Sacramento… Cortez Hankton led Florida with six receptions for 110 yards while Maurice Price finished with six catches for 75 yards… Dominic Rhodes led all rushers with 51 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Florida’s defense contained running back Cory Ross to the tune of 28 yards on 14 carries, although he did make eight catches for 57 yards… Joe Clermond had a sack in the loss while Chris Harrington and Arnold Harrison combined for a sack of Culpepper. Tim McGarigle finished with six tackles.

– (Contact Orlando Sports Central at JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com) –